Two More ‘Ducks Headed to the Eastern League All-Star Game

The Eastern League of Professional Baseball announced on Wednesday four roster additions for next week’s Eastern League All-Star Game in response to several recent promotions around the league.

Two members of Akron’s bullpen, J.P. Feyereisen and Louis Head, were added to the Western Division team, replacing two former members of the RubberDucks, starting pitcher Shawn Morimando and reliever Perci Garner. The pair had been recently promoted to the roster of the Triple-A Columbus Clippers.

Feyereisen – Michael Chritton/Akron Beacon Journal

Feyereisen, 23, joined the Indians organization in 2014 after being selected in the 16th round of the June amateur draft. He is 4-2 on the season for the RubberDucks in 27 appearances. He has earned a 2.51 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and has saved five games in five chances.

The strikeout has been a specialty again this season for Feyereisen, who has struck out 46 batters in 32 1/3 innings on the season. Including his work this year, he is averaging 11.69 strikeouts per nine innings in his professional career.

This will be the first All-Star nod for Feyereisen, who spent the 2014 season with short-season Mahoning Valley and split last season between Class-A Lake County and Advanced-A Lynchburg.

Head, a 26-year-old right-hander out of Texas State (pictured at top), was drafted by the Indians in the 18th round of the 2012 draft. He is in his sixth season of professional baseball and has spent half of the 2014 season and all of the last two years in the Akron bullpen.

This season, he has worked a 2-1 record with a 2.22 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 27 appearances. Opposing hitters are batting .231 against him this season and right-handers are hitting just .191. He has been dynamite on the road, posting a 1.27 ERA in 14 appearances away from Canal Park with a 0.98 WHIP. Both of his saves this season (in three total opportunities) have come at home.

This will be the second All-Star appearance of Head’s career – he was named a Midwest League (A) mid-season All-Star for Lake County in 2013.

“It doesn’t take away from me whether they earned that or not. Those guys have been solid for us in the ‘pen and a big reason why we are where we are right now,” said Akron and Eastern League Western Division manager Dave Wallace of his new additions after Wednesday night’s game. “They’re proud and I’m happy for them that they got the recognition that they well deserved.”

Garner was promoted to Columbus on Monday for the second time this season after going 5-1 in 23 outings for Akron with a 1.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and .202 batting average against. The 27-year-old righty and Dover, Ohio, native is in his second season in the Indians organization after being taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Ball State.

Morimando made his Major League debut for Cleveland on July 2 before being optioned back to Columbus the following day. The 23-year-old left-hander was 10-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 16 starts for Akron. He was a 19th round pick by the Indians in 2011.

In addition to Feyereisen and Head, the Eastern League also announced that Trenton pitcher Jonathan Holder and Portland outfielder Aneury Tavarez would be joining the Eastern Division team. Holder will replace his pitching teammate Dietrich Enns, who received a promotion to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Tavarez takes the spot of David Dahl, who was promoted from Double-A Hartford to Triple-A Albuquerque.

The 2016 Eastern League All-Star Game is scheduled for 7:05 PM from Canal Park in Akron on Wednesday, July 13. It will be the first time that Akron has hosted the All-Star Game since the franchise relocated to northeast Ohio in 1989.